I was surprised that Emma had spent so much time with me. She didn’t spend a night at Aaron’s for almost a week. She tried her best to get me to eat but I wouldn’t. She stayed in the bed and read me stories like I was a kid. She was trying to keep my mind off Ian but it didn’t work.
I also know she went to bat for me when Aaron suggested a run. Emma put a stop to it quick telling him I needed time since my best friend had just died. Though a run might’ve done me some good to help heal my mind a bit but it might’ve made me reckless and stupid. Obviously, either way, I probably would’ve been a walking target for the zombies.
After the week was up, Emma asked if it would be okay to stay with Aaron for a night.
“I’m sorry,” She began. “Aaron really wants me to stay with him and hang out. I told him no but he insisted. If you say no though, I’ll tell him you need me.”
“No, go. Have fun. You need a break from my misery.”
“I’m so sorry Cate.”
I shrugged, “It is what it is.”
“Yeah, but I knew how you felt about him. I always thought eventually you’d let your walls down and you two would get together.”
I shook my head, “The walls aren’t coming down Em. They’re here to stay.”
She looked sad and stroked my hair. “I’m so sorry sweetie.”
“Don’t worry about me tonight. Have fun.”
She hesitated but then left. I lay in the bed for a bit longer. I finally got up and took Milo for a walk before it got dark. After we got back in the apartment, I made sure the door was locked and hung up the wind chimes and made a sandwich. I didn’t eat it all but I had been trying to eat more to keep my strength up.
I gave Milo the last of my sandwich and we went into the bedroom. I closed the door behind me and locked all the locks on the door. Milo jumped up on the bed and I changed back into my pajamas.
I was asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I had slept better in the past week than I had in the last six months which didn’t make sense. I didn’t understand why I didn’t dream about Ian. It seemed the most logical as I had often dreamed horrible dreams about Shelly though I had no way of knowing if they were accurate. The only thing I could figure is that I was finally so emotionally drained that I didn’t have the energy for the nightmares anymore.
My left side was completely healed but my heart and mind were far from it. I wasn’t sure they ever would be healed.
After what felt like ages, I woke up because Milo jumped. It was still dark outside. Milo made a weeping sound.
“What’s wrong sweetie?” I asked sitting up.
I sat and listened but I didn’t hear anything. I thought maybe it was the wind that woke him up. I lay back down and closed my eyes. They didn’t stay closed long though because I heard the wind chimes rustling.
Milo stood up on the bed and I sat up. I turned on the lantern on the nightstand. I got out of bed and pulled Milo by the collar.
“Come on buddy,” I said.
He wouldn’t come at first. He was staring in the direction of the door.
After a bit of a struggle I finally got him to move. I put him in the closet and shut the door. Whatever was happening out there, I didn’t want Milo to become a casualty.
I got my knife from the nightstand and went over to the door. I put my ear up against the door and listened. I heard a faint growling noise. Then there was a loud bang as the zombie hit the door. It began scratching at the other side and growling more intensely as it caught my scent.
I backed away from the door and tried to think of the best course of action. My mind was racing with how the damn thing got in but I couldn’t try to figure that out right then. I needed to kill it and kill it fast. I hoped it was just one.
I was debating between trying to smash its brain in the door and hiding behind the door and stabbing it with my knife when it got in the room. Deciding for the latter, I unlocked the door and opened it slowly. Well, I tried to open it slowly.
The hungry zombie barged in and knocked me down onto the bed. It got a hold of my foot but I was able to kick it away before teeth penetrated my skin. I still had my knife in hand and stood up as the zombie came towards me.
I pushed its hand away so it couldn’t grab me and stabbed it in the forehead. I pulled the knife out and pushed the body backwards so it wouldn’t land on my bed.
I grabbed my .38 with the silencer, along with my knife and lantern. I headed down the hall slowly and listened for anymore zombies. I checked in Emma’s room and bathroom. There was nothing.
I headed into the dining room and noticed that the door was unlocked. I didn’t understand it as I remembered locking the door and if Emma had stopped by she would’ve checked on me. I stood trying to figure it out when I saw the handle move.
I ran and hid behind the wall turning off the lantern when I got to my destination. I sat the lantern down as the apartment was filled with the unnatural light of a flashlight.
I heard two men laughing though they sounded young.
“Man, I bet it’s a gruesome sight,” One said.
“Shut up, this is depressing. Cate was hot,” the other interjected.
“Yeah, I would’ve hit that even though she was a damn prude. Why did Aaron want us to do this?”
“I’m not sure but I’m just following my orders. Not asking any questions that might put me in the crosshairs. He’s wanted Cate gone for a while and he didn’t like the half assed attempt of putting a possum in the trunk of that car but I thought it would attract zombies.”
“He wants that new girl done next right? Nicole or whatever her name is.”
“Natalie. And yeah, after a few weeks though, he doesn’t want it to seem suspicious.”
I was in shock until Natalie came into it. Then I was just pissed, so pissed I acted without thinking. Luckily these two didn’t have the brains for the job they were given and the flashlight was pointed away from the hall. It illuminated them perfectly. It was Toby and Eric, two nineteen year olds that I never cared for and seemed to be hoodlums more than anything else.
I didn’t think when I put my gun up. I was too practiced at this point. I could see Toby’s head and he was the worst one. I took my shot and even in the pale light could see the blood and brain matter fly into the air.
Eric was frozen staring at Toby’s dead body slumped to the ground.
I aimed my gun at his temple, “Eric you are going to tell me everything or you’ll be joining him. You got it?”
I saw him nod but he said nothing.
“Eric, you let the zombie in here?” I asked.
He nodded again but still didn’t speak. He was staring at Toby. I knew he had never seen a dead body before.
“Aaron made you do it?”
He still only nodded.
“Why?” I asked.
“Because you’re becoming more of a problem than you are useful,” He answered and I could tell by how his voice shook he was crying. “I’m sorry Cate.”
I laughed but it was out of anger and disgust, “You’re sorry? You’re sorry for letting a zombie loose in my apartment to kill me?”
I heard him gasp for air as he was crying so hard at this point, “It was,” He stumbled, “It was better than what Tom had to do.”
I lost it. I don’t remember walking up or lunging or whatever I did to get to him but the next thing I knew I had the gun to his temple with the trigger only a hair from making the gun go off. His eyes were shut and his body was shaking.
The venom in my voice startled me as I spoke, “What did Tom have to do?”
Eric didn’t answer me right away.
“Eric, tell me or I’ll kill you and beat the answer out of Tom himself. What did he do?”
He let out a sharp exhale, “He shot Ian in the back. Aaron told him not to take any chances and that since no one was around it wouldn’t matter anyway.”
I don’t know why I didn’t pull that trigger then. I wanted to so bad but I knew Eric wasn’
t the one I wanted to kill.
It was all beginning to make sense. Why Aaron was so okay with Natalie, why he had apologized to me. He knew we were no longer going to be a threat to his reign.
No one was safe but I couldn’t worry about everyone else. I had been and it got my best friend killed. The hard work of the runs meant nothing. I was replaceable and my life meant nothing to the head of this disturbing place. I had to save Natalie and myself.
“Are you going to kill me?” Eric asked as I had never lowered my gun.
“No, you get to live with yourself after this. The shame of it and how your failures got your friend killed. You get to spend the rest of your life thinking about that.”
I saw him move his fist. He was aiming right for my face. The sucker punch only a coward would throw. I ducked and he spun around but caught his balance and lunged for me. I took my shot hitting him in the head. He dropped to the ground.
“I guess the rest of your life wasn’t very long. Lucky you.”
I sat on the couch for a long time before I was able to move. I’d never killed someone, at least not anyone who was still alive and aware of their actions. I felt cold on the inside, like I wasn’t myself at all anymore. I tried to think about the fact they were plotting to have me killed and Natalie as well. Not to mention they were aware of what was planned for Ian and did nothing to stop it.
It didn’t change the fact that I killed them. In my anger I couldn’t see another way around it. Maybe there wasn’t another way around what I had done but I felt inhuman, disconnected.
I had felt that way the first time I killed a zombie. Over time it became second nature, easier but in the beginning it was difficult. I’d think about the lives the people had lived before they turned and wonder about their families. Where they were or if they had turned too or if they were on their way to someone when it happened. When I thought about the latter I always thought about Shelly. Eventually Ian helped me not to dwell on that part as they were no longer human, no longer able to understand their actions.
I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to fully live with what I had done to Eric and Todd but I knew I couldn’t continue to dwell on it. I had to get up and move. I had to get the hell out of the safe haven but I had no idea how to do that. Leaving wasn’t an option that was readily given. That’s why Ian and I had planned to just never come back when we left for a run as the guards weren’t supposed to let anyone out almost as much as they weren’t supposed to let them in. But I knew that Jerry tended to be at the gate before sunrise and I knew he’d let me go.
There was really only one problem I didn’t know how to address and I wasn’t sure I wanted to address it. It was the issue of Emma, I couldn’t in good conscience let her stay here after what Aaron had done but I couldn’t safely extract her either, as she was sleeping with the enemy.
I wished Ian was with me. He’d know what to do. Or Shelly, Shelly would have been the best person to speak to about how to proceed. I decided to make that decision when it came down to the wire.
I stepped over the bodies of the two men on my entry floor and went out the front door. I didn’t dare turn on a flashlight as I didn’t want to bring attention to myself. Instead I waited until my eyes got used to the moon light.
Once they did, I made my way over to the next door. There were no neighbors below us or next door so I shouldn’t be heard. However, I didn’t know if there were ears listening in other nearby places and that concerned me.
I knocked lightly at first and waited a beat. There was no answer so I knocked again but a little louder. I heard the lock and the door opened slowly as Natalie shined a light in my eyes.
“Cate?” She asked confused.
“Pack,” I said.
“What?” She asked even more confused.
“You need to pack and quickly. We need to leave and leave fast. I’ll be back for you in ten. If it’s been too long go to the Mustang in number 123. Do not use a flashlight, get used to the moonlight before going. Also, keep a weapon on you at all times, in the apartment or out.”
“Cate, what’s going on?”
“There isn’t time now,” I said.
“Please, give me something. The gist, so I’m not scared,” She stated.
I sighed, “I fear telling you will make you more scared.”
I saw her shrug, “Try me.”
I looked at her and shook my head out of exasperation but I decided to give her the run down. “I was attacked by a zombie…in my apartment.”
“How?” She asked before I could continue.
“Because Aaron sent people to kill me and make it look like a random attack. Tom, the guy who did the run with Ian, killed him. And in a few weeks,” I stopped not wanting to continue.
“They were going to kill me because they really didn’t want me here.”
I nodded, “I made a mistake in bringing you back here Natalie. I really thought it was the safest thing to do for you but I was wrong and for that I am sorry. But I swear I will get you out of here safely.”
“Why is he doing this? That Aaron guy?” She asked.
“It’s not just him, it’s his mother too. And I don’t know why. Some people should not be leaders; they go mad with power if they have too much.”
“Or maybe they’ve been sadist jack holes the whole time but gained everyone’s trust until they could show their true colors.”
I looked at her astounded by her theory as it was good but very cynical. “Maybe. Get ready.”
I walked back into my apartment and shut the door behind me. I managed to find my way to the lantern and turn it on. I made quick work of packing my bag with clothes and a bit of food. I let Milo out of the closet and put his leash on.
“We got to be quiet boy,” I said to him petting is head.
I grabbed my phone out of the kitchen and threw it in the bag.
I got out a piece of paper and was going to write Emma a note as to why I left. I still didn’t know if it was the right thing but I didn’t want to bring Aaron’s attention to us leaving until I was long gone.
I had just scrawled the words “Dear Emma” when the walkie talkie went off.
“Eric, it’s Cougar. Is it done? Report,” Aaron’s voice filled my apartment.
I snapped the pen in my hand in half I was so angry. I decided not to respond. I got another pen and continued to write when it went off again.
“Eric, seriously. I told you I don’t want to have to get my hands dirty. Don’t make me come down there and take care of it myself. REPORT!” He screamed into the walkie talkie.
I took a deep breath and said a prayer that somehow if I couldn’t get out of this, Natalie could.
I walked over to Eric’s body and picked up the walkie talkie.
I pushed the button and spoke, “Tell me Aaron, how would you take care of it? Would you be a coward and shoot me in the back or sic a zombie on me? Or would you be a man about it?”
“Cate?” He said into the walkie talkie. “Where are Todd and Eric?”
“Indisposed,” I said grabbing Milo and my bag as I headed out the door.
Natalie was just leaving her apartment.
“Thank God,” She said.
That’s when the walkie talkie went off again. “What does that mean Cate?”
Natalie look scared, I motioned for her to follow me as I headed down the stairs. We had just rounded the building when the walkie talkie went off again.
“Cate, I’m coming to you. We need to talk over some things.”
“Run to the car,” I told Natalie.
We both sprinted for the car, the doors were already unlocked. I let Milo in the backseat and sat in the driver seat.
“Seat belt,” I said.
Natalie obliged.
The walkie talkie went off again.
“I know you’re trying to leave bitch but see that’s not going to happen and I’m sure you see why by now,” he said.
I did see it. Laura was walking down the road in a
night gown with a shot gun. I started the engine.
I picked up the walkie talkie, “You know Aaron, I once read about this hit and run with a Mustang that split the pedestrian in half the guy was going so fast. Your mothers still a good yard from me. I think this baby can get fast enough to split her, don’t you?”
“You’d never do it Cate,” Aaron said smugly.
Natalie looked scared as I put the car in gear and put my foot on the gas.
I screamed at both Natalie and Milo to get down in case Laura got a shot off. They both obliged but it didn’t matter. Laura was so shocked to see the Mustang flying at her like Christine that the gun dropped from her hand.
I got the Mustang fast enough that the hood hit her hard enough to send her flying over the roof and she rolled off the trunk. I down shifted and looked back.
She wasn’t moving. I wasn’t even aware of my hand putting her in reverse.
Natalie put her hand over mine and shook her head.
“Don’t,” She said and I started to feel ashamed until she added, “You might damage the car.”
I laughed and picked up the walkie talkie, “She didn’t split in half but she still doesn’t look so good.”
“You bitch I’ll…”
I threw the walkie talkie out the window. I handed Natalie a gun and put the car in gear.
Natalie looked worried about the gun.
“Only if they won’t let us leave. If they try to stop us, we shoot them and hope like hell this thing will run after busting the gate.”
“Or we could just shoot them and get the keys,” Natalie said.
“If there’s time,” I said.
I knew as I begin to drive towards the gate that I would probably never see Emma again. It was just another thing that I would have to get over.
Chapter 6
We rounded the corner and slowed down as we reached the gate. As I thought, Jerry was already there working. He had a curious look on his face as he approached the driver side of the Mustang.
“Cate,” He began as I rolled down the window. “What’s going on?”
Plague of the Dead (Book 2): Plague of the Desert Page 6
